A FIFA ethics committee judge has been arrested in Malaysia on suspicion of corruption.

Sundra Rajoo's lawyer told the Associated Press his client had been detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) after returning from FIFA business in Zurich the previous evening.

The lawyer, Cheow Wee, said a court refused a request for a seven-day remand order against Rajoo, who was later released unconditionally.

"The judge agreed with our position that he has diplomatic immunity and privileges," Cheow said. "He cannot be arrested nor detained, and isn't subjected to our criminal jurisdiction."

The lawyer said the MACC sought Rajoo's remand to protect and continue its investigation into allegations that the ethics judge accepted and used his office for financial favours.

Rajoo resigned from his position with the Asian International Arbitration Centre on Wednesday, Cheow added.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rajoo's status within its judicial system, while the MACC could not immediately be reached for comment.

He was appointed as one of two deputy chairmen of the FIFA ethics committee's adjudicatory chamber last year. Since he joined FIFA, ethics judges have passed several life bans on football officials implicated in bribery by a U.S. Department of Justice investigation.